As a country built and thriving on literature, Scotland has some incredible writers who go unacknowledged every year, and Ringwood wants to bring some of those underrepresented voices to light. Writers residing in or originally from Scotland are encouraged to send their best work to our panel of judges. We welcome submissions from all walks of life, including but not limited to writers who identify as women, men, transgender, nonbinary, LGBTQ+, BAME, neurodivergent, and any and all others who are contributing to the rich tapestry of our literary history. Your voices matter.
We are only accepting contest submissions electronically. Anyone writer is welcome to submit up to five stories, each as a separate submission with its own £2 entry fee. You will receive a confirmation email once your submission and payment have been received.
Full Terms and Conditions
Ringwood wants to celebrate up-and-coming young writers with a Scottish connection, so the competition will be open to all writers based in Scotland, or who have previously resided in Scotland. Entry is £2 per story, entries must be short stories. Please send stories up to 3000 words to submissions@ringwoodpublishing.com.
While we always welcome work that pushes boundaries and makes us ask questions about the world, we do not welcome any stories that promote stigma against mental illness, homophobia, ableism, racism, fascism, sexism, and all other manners of bigoted nonsense.
Entries should be sent as a double-spaced Word document. Please include page numbers and use an easy-to-read font and have the subject of your email read ‘Short Story Submission’.
Please include a cover letter detailing contact details, any previous publications and (if applicable) residence in Scotland as the first page of your entry.
Once payment has been made and the entry sent to submissions@ringwoodpublishing.com, you will receive a confirmation email notifying you that your piece has been received.
The judges’ decision is final, and any entries received after the deadline will not be considered.
No postal entries shall be considered.
We will not be able to offer feedback on individual entries.
Simultaneous submissions are accepted and encouraged, though please let us know if your piece is subsequently accepted for publication elsewhere. And if that happens, congratulations!
There is a limit of 5 different entries by any one writer, and each separate story must be accompanied by a £2 entry fee (payable by credit/debit card or PayPal via the Add to Basket button below).
PAY SUBMISSION FEE